


Creating a Rift

by deepseaCritter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Heartbreak, M/M, great teams don't equal great partners, it still hurts though, no matter how great you are together, relationships that could have been, sometimes things just don't work out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 05:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13968765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepseaCritter/pseuds/deepseaCritter
Summary: Caldera and Rift were a great pair, just not in the way Rift had hoped.





	Creating a Rift

**Author's Note:**

> I have this rated as "mature" because I may add it to a collection of stories that may eventually have some more interesting content. This particular work really has a general rating.

Laughter echoed in the barracks, and Rift knew immediately it was Caldera. He would never have to look to know who made that bright sound. He used to crave hearing Caldera’s voice, hearing him laugh. Now, however…he turned, face to the wall, and covered his head with his thin blanket. Now that playful sound cut him, and he felt an icy wave breaking in his chest.

He was desperate to tune it out when a second voice joined in…a little deeper, a richer tone. _Crater_. The voices joined in harmony, and he couldn’t stand it. Rift threw off the blanket, jumped down from his bunk, and passed around the beds occupied by Caldera and Crater, making is way out of the room as fast as possible.

“Hey, Rift…where you heading to?”

“You okay, vod?”

He ignored their questions, concentrating on making it through the door and into the hall…down the corridor and beyond. He had no particular destination other than “ _away_ ”, turning corners to avoid friendly faces. Eventually he hit a dead end and went through the closest open door, which led into one of the supply rooms. Moving behind pallets and racks of gear, Rift found a dimly lit corner where he could rest. He sat, head in his hands, as he tried to drown out the echoes of laughter churning in his mind.

*****

The mission had been successful with, surprisingly, no casualties in their squad. The mood on the larty heading back had been almost celebratory. Even Jacek was in a good mood, and that was indeed something rare. Against the odds, they all made it. Rift had promised himself, _stupidly_ , that he they made it back, he would say something to Caldera. What that something was, he didn’t quite know yet...

Then suddenly he found himself in the barracks, Caldera recounting in slightly exaggerated detail one of their past missions to some new vode.

“This one…this one right here is mostly the reason why I’m still here. He’s saved me more times than I can count.” Caldera threw his arm around Rift, and Rift tied to hide how much his face burned.

“So, Rift…how much of that story was complete and utter osik?” He didn’t recognize who had said it.

“Uh…well, I’d say it was possibly maybe embellished slightly.” That earned him a laugh all around.

Caldera looked at him with mock disappointment, “Well, hey, thanks for backing me up there,” and he caught Rift and a playful headlock.

Rift responded by twisting slightly, pinning Caldera’s arm and sweeping out his right leg. He fell on top of Caldera and smiled when his batcher’s eyes lit up and he broke into a fit of laughter. It was such a wonderful sound, and he wanted very much to be one of the reasons Caldera was so happy.

Someone in the group whistled, and there was a groaned, “Get a room you two.” Caldera pushed Rift off of him and stood quickly, his face flush. As if that was a signal, the other troopers shuffled off leaving Caldera and Rift alone in that part of the room. It was now or never, and Rift took his time getting up off the floor.

“Calds…I, uh, I’ve been wanting to say something to you. You know how much you mean to me, and I think we make a great team.” _Brilliant…a great team_. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, quickly trying to reorganize his thoughts.

“I care about you, Calds. I really do. And…[ _shit shit shit_ ]…I think we could be something. Together.”

He heard snickering across the room, but that was the best that he was going to be able to do. It wasn’t eloquent, it wasn’t even what he had really planned out in his head. At least his words were out there.

Caldera looked at him with an expression Rift couldn’t quite read, but suddenly he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.   

“Rift, I care about you, too. Just, not like that. You’re my batcher, my right hand vod. We are a great team. A _team_. I can’t…I’m sorry.” Caldera’s expression was sad, his voice low, and Rift felt himself deflate. He put a hand on Rift’s shoulder, and Rift shrugged it off.

Rift swallowed ad put on a fake smile, fighting the urge to vocalize the screaming going on in his mind. “You’re right. Team. Why mess with a good thing, right? No need to kark that up.”

He stepped away from Caldera, aware of the eyes that were on them both now. “You know what, I shouldn’t have said anything. Just…just forget it.”

“Rift…”

But he was already walking out of the room, leaving the hushed murmurs in the barracks behind him.

*****

They worked through it as best as they could, mostly by pretending the conversation never took place. They were still just as effective as soldiers, but there was now a wall between them.

Rift curled up in the corner, as the memory played in his head, mingled with the sound of Crater’s laughter. Crater, who was to Caldera everything that Rift wanted to be, but never could. He stayed there in the supply room, thankful when sleep finally quieted his mind.


End file.
